The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border.
Parallel translations
- WEB and have sold the children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem to the sons of the Greeks, that you may remove them far from their border.
- BSB You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, to send them far from their homeland.
- NKJV Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem You have sold to the Greeks, That you may remove them far from their borders.
- NASB and sold the sons of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their territory,
- NLT You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, so they could take them far from their homeland.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
They sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem as slaves to the Greeks, sending them far from home. Trafficking God's people deepens the nations' guilt.
Overview
Joel adds the grievous charge of selling God's people into distant slavery among the Greeks, severing them from their homeland. This cruel trafficking compounds the nations' offense against God and His covenant people. The verse displays God's tender regard for His own and His resolve to avenge their exile, anticipating the redemption Christ accomplishes by freeing His people from bondage.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Ezek 27:13Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market.
- Joel 3:3And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.
- Deut 28:68And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
- Joel 3:8And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the LORD hath spoken it.
- Deut 28:32Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The promised outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh and the call to 'everyone who calls on the name of the LORD' are fulfilled at Pentecost in the name of Jesus.
How Joel 3:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.